Pretty in Orange
by Corcey
Summary: Juliet goes undercover in a women's prison to solve an murder involving an axe and a suspicious tattoo.
1. Chapter 1

Shawn practically dragged Gus into the apartment building.

"Shawn, I don't want to go in."

"Come on, Gus. Don't be a sticky beaver. When do we ever get to investigate a traditional axe murder?" Shawn was obviously excited at the prospect to intrude on a case that's type of crime is usually only seen in horror movies.

"We're probably not even going to get to investigate, Shawn. No one called us," Gus said as he struggled near the elevator to reach the crime scene.

"Whoa," his friend completely zoned out for a second, staring blankly outside the glass entrance doors.

"What?" Gus scowled and turned to see what intrigued Shawn so. It was probably a squirrel. In that moment of weakness, Shawn tugged Gus's arm hastily into the elevator, pressed the "close door" button and immediately jabbed his finger on the number four. "Shawn!" Gus panicked.

"Relax, buddy, you can wait out in the hall if you need to." Shawn rolled his eyes.

When the elevator doors opened, Gus stood his ground firmly. "I'm not getting out of the elevator, Shawn."

"Gus, I need you at least in the hall," the fake psychic said in mild exasperation. "You're my psychic inspiration."

"I am not moving."

The two spent a few seconds arguing until the elevator doors closed, separating the two best friends. "Fine, but next time the elevator stops, you're getting out of it!"

Shawn marched confidently down the hallway to where he saw the crime scene tape and many officers gathered around.

"Jules," he found the familiar blonde detective outside of the apartment door, writing something down on a clipboard.

"Shawn. What are you doing here? Where's Gus?"

"Well, what are you doing here? And Gus is still nursing his teddy bear in his crib."

"You weren't called Shawn," Juliet said. "Lassiter's already having a rough enough day as it is."

"Well, maybe I can cheer him up," Shawn grinned. "The Spirits called me here. They said something about an axe murder?"

"Yeah," Juliet confirmed. "The victim was decapitated in her home."

"Would you mind if I had a look see?" Shawn put on his innocent childlike face.

"It's pretty gruesome, Shawn." She warned.

"I think I can handle it," he said as he ducked under the yellow barrier of tape.

He flinched at the brutality of the murder. There was clearly a struggle between the young woman who was now lying on the floor almost in bits and her aggressor. The woman's face was unrecognizable and she had several defensive wounds on her body.

"Spencer, what the hell are you doing here?" Lassiter was angry, as expected.

"I just want to see if I can communicate with Lizzie Borden here."

"And why can't you do that at your own place?" Lassiter scoffed.

"The Spirits are better when I am in proximity of a similar crime," Shawn answered simply, checking out the wreckage scene in the apartment. Definitely a struggle. The beige furniture chair had a tear in it and was turned over and the colorful artworks were on the floor, some torn and many with broken frames.

Shawn immediately noticed a tattoo on the bottom of the victim's foot. It seemed to be a quickly done flower with the center being an upside-down pentacle.

The pattern of blood splatter on the walls suggested that the victim was standing up when the axe first hit her. The cuts in the wall also hinted that it had taken the murderer a few swings.

Another look at the turned chair and he caught a little orange in his view, but nothing in the room advised that there was any material it could have been ripped off of. Shawn crossed the room and gazed at it closely.

"Spencer, are you done interrupting our investigation?" Lassiter said.

"Umm…" Shawn hesitated for a second. "Yeah, for now, I think so."

*

"Why an axe, though, Gus?" Shawn debated in the Psych office with his friend. "Wouldn't it have been easier with a smaller knife?"

"Maybe its some sort of calling card," Gus suggested.

"No, I think that would be the tattoo on her foot."

"What?"

"Didn't you see, Gus? The killer took the time to… wait a minute."

"What are you doing?" Gus asked as he watched his best friend go to his computer quickly.

"Shhh!"

"You're going on the Internet, I doubt that needs silence."

"Gus! It's much more dramatic that way… here it is."

"What?"

Shawn turned his computer around, "it's a prison gang. Sort of like a Women's Murder Club but much bloodier and way more compelling."

"Then shouldn't those women be in prison? Unless one of them got out."

"Gus," Shawn grabbed the keys to the blueberry car and tossed them at his friend. "Let's take a little visit to the department."

*

"Chief!" Shawn exclaimed as he entered the office where Lassiter, Juliet and the chief were already talking, "I just got a vision."

"What would it be of, Mr. Spencer?"

"Okay, what about a Women's Murder Club?" Shawn said.

"Like the series?" Jules asked.

"No," Shawn said. "A gang in a women's prison for murderers."

"If you're referring the tattoo on the bottom on the victim's foot, we've already checked that." Lassiter ruined. "None of the known women in that gang have been released."

"Any of the women used axes for murdering?" Gus asked.

"No, but the axe was a last minute resort," Juliet said. "We spoke with some people and the landscaper had an axe and left the shed unlocked."

"The landscaper also had an alibi, he was cutting back the ivy on the wall using a chainsaw. Almost everyone in the apartment building saw him last night doing it and filed complaints to the landlord around the time of the murder."

"Well," chief said. "Go talk to the women at the prison, see if they know anything."

"Uh, with all due respect Chief, I don't think it will work." Shawn said, "these women are in prison for a reason and in the gang for an even greater reason. I don't think they'll be talking to cops."

"Then what do you suggest, Mr. Spencer?" Vick looked skeptical.

"I suggest that detective O'Hara should go to prison," Shawn smiled at Juliet who scowled.


	2. Chapter 2

The bus ride to the prison was bumpy under the watchful eyes of guys with guns in gray uniforms.

Juliet had distaste for what she was wearing, but for a woman who supposedly just shot and killed her boyfriend, it was perfect. She wore tight jeans, a tight shirt that was too small and a ragged jean jacket that looked more than a decade old. Juliet also wore a pair of shiny bracelets she remembered putting on other people before, but never recalling herself wearing them in the past.

Juliet tried to look tough without trying to hard. The woman beside her was glaring through the window while popping her gum.

The bus finally reached the dark barbed wire fences of the prison.

"All right, ladies," a man with dark sunglasses and a bright badge on his chest shouted to them. "You'll get out of the bus in an orderly fashion. You'll get your new clothes and change into those. Once you do that, you'll give your clothes to one of the boxes down there."

Juliet let out a breath. So this was what happened to the women she put away.

The girls got out one by one down the bus under the hawk-like gaze of their new guardians. Juliet already felt really uncomfortable but did not show it. She needed to be tough; she's supposed to be a cold-blooded killer. Not some frightened mouse.

She walked carelessly with her head tilted to the side and a frown on her face. Pretending like she didn't care about anything, especially her situation now.

It was very embarrassing dressing in front of the guards, especially since those guards were male. She could feel their eyes scanning her in a way they shouldn't. But Juliet was calm and she acted like nothing was going on and like she's done this hundreds of times, throwing her street clothes in one of the plastic boxes and handing it to where she was supposed to.

She was calm. She was tough. She can do this.

*

The woman in the cell Juliet was escorted to scoffed when she saw her.

"I thought I'd be getting a cell alone after Margie transferred, Billy?" Juliet's new cellmate said.

Billy the guard gave a small laugh before opening the cell for Juliet to go inside and then he left.

"So what are you in for?" her cellmate sat on the right bed where there were a few pictures taped to the wall behind it. Taking the hint, Juliet claimed the left.

"Police think I shot my boyfriend." She said casually as she sat on her new bed. "They don't got any proof, though."

"Hmm," the woman with dirty blonde hair and a lip piercing smiled. "Same here, only it was my husband. I'm Sherrie."

"Jules," Juliet had long decided that Jules sounded much better than Juliet.

"Jules," Sherrie tried the name out, "my son's name is Julian." She turned slightly and pointed to a toddler with blonde hair smiling at the camera with chocolate over his face.

"He looks a lot like you." Juliet observed.

"Yeah," Sherrie then turned her back to the wall. "Thank God for that. His father was ugly as hell." Sherrie smiled and Juliet took that as a cue to chuckle.

She heard around that Sherrie Adrians was part of the murder gang. And she did thank her lucky stars she was getting on her good side.

*

"Shawn, what are you doing here? I thought Lassiter was supposed to meet me?" Juliet said over the phone as she saw Shawn through the dirty glass.

"Yeah, but he got a little bit busy and I convinced him to allow me to come," Shawn replied, smiling. "So have you made any new friends?"

Realizing that he was disguising "suspects" as "friends", and remembering that they recorded these conversations, she played along. "Not really, but my cellmate is pretty nice."

"What's her name?"

"Sherrie."

"Hmm… so when you get out, are you going to be like one of those hardened by prison girls?" Shawn smirked and Juliet rolled her eyes and hung up.

Shawn had to tap on the glass to get her attention back as she turned to leave.

"What?" Juliet picked the phone up again.

"Lassie told me to tell you to make friends as quickly as you can."

"What does he think I've been trying to do the past couple days?"

"I think that he thinks you're here for the food." Juliet had to laugh at that statement, it was definitely not for the cold chili. "Although, I don't know, I think you're here for the outfit. You look nice in orange."

"Thanks, Shawn," Juliet said tiredly as she was about to hang up the phone again and end the conversation.

"Jules!"

"What?" she repeated with annoyance in her voice.

Shawn glanced down at the other inmates talking to family and friends. Most of them looked like you would never want to cross them in a dark alley.

"Just, be safe, Jules."

"Thanks," she said genuinely and hung up the phone and left.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days past and Juliet continued to get on Sherrie's good side. She was certain Sherrie was in the gang, because every time they were out of their cell, Sherrie would go and join the bunch of girls Juliet was told were in the gang.

Juliet did not speak to anyone else in the yard. She mostly stayed by the fence, observing the bunch Sherrie was with. They seemed like everything was normal, or at least normal for being in prison for murder.

But one girl looked anxious. She didn't have the appearance of a killer, but she was still in the group nonetheless.

Juliet would just have to wait. Wait until Sherrie finally deemed her trustworthy enough to join the exclusive prison club.

So she remained patient.

*

After two weeks, Juliet was getting nervous that she would never be admitted into the group. She would get visits from her "brother" Sonny Malley everyday. Shawn would give her the messages Lassiter gave him. And he would also make inappropriate comments that a brother should not be making.

"Karen's getting anxious," Shawn disguised. Juliet was surprise at times how well he could hide his hidden meaning. He usually is so out there and blunt, but not when he is Sonny Malley. "She said they might work on your appeal."

How to answer that? No?

"All right," Juliet nodded, but she hoped to reveal the concealed "no, I'm getting close" in her eyes as she met Shawn's stare. He's psychic, he should know her answer. "But don't worry, I'm doing fine here. Can't wait to get out, but I'm fine."

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Shawn said. "Love you, little sis."

Juliet was stunned for only a second before recovering with a "love you, too, bro" and hanging up the phone. He was playing her brother, of course he was supposed to say, "love you", but out of all their conversations in the prison, he had never said that before.

It's probably nothing.

*

Sherrie was lounging on her bed when she got back to the cell, escorted by one of the guards. She wasn't fond of the firm grip he had on her arm, some of the guards didn't touch the inmates but this guy had a controlling air around her. She had seen him with the other girls and she was the only one he held onto. Juliet was glad when they reached her cell and he was forced to let go to get the key to open the bars.

Although, Juliet did not appreciate the push he gave her inside, she snapped like what she thought her alternate Jules would do, "I can walk all right by myself." The guard only smirked and left. That smirk gave chills to Juliet, which she concealed in front of Sherrie.

"Hey Jules," Sherrie said. "I have some friends who'd like to meet you."

"Alright," Juliet approved carelessly.

Sherrie smiled.

*

The next day in the yard, Sherrie led her to a gang of tough-looking girls.

"You Jules?" A woman who appeared to be the leader with messy dark hair in a ponytail said.

"Yeah," Juliet said, hoping to sound tough without trying to hard.

"Heard some stuff about you," grinned the girl. "Execution style?"

"That's what the DA says," Juliet replied.

"Yeah. So Sherrie's been telling us about you. She says you're a good friend, trustworthy."

Juliet glanced at Sherrie.

"Anyway, any friend of Sherrie's is a friend of ours, right girls?"

A chorus of "yeah" followed.

"So if you need any protection from anyone. Including one of the guards, just remember us."

"We see the way Stoner handles you," a girl with dirty strawberry blonde hair said who was standing right next to the leader.

"Stoner doesn't _handle_ me," Jules said.

"You got attitude, Malley," the leader spoke; approaching Juliet so she was only a foot away from her. "And that can get you in trouble around here. Remember us."

"Okay." Was all Juliet said to her before the leader turned her attention to someone else, talking to her about appeals.

"Mary's something, isn't she?" Sherrie joined her. "Killed her husband with a hatchet. Or at least, that's what the DA thinks. She's on her last appeal."

"What do they got on her?"

"A girl who said she heard Mary threaten to kill him and a security tape that showed her going into the apartment around the time of the murder. She swears that someone else was in the apartment with him, but the tape didn't show anyone but her come out. But I think I heard the woman who testified against Mary is dead now."


	4. Chapter 4

Juliet actually felt the eyes of the guard, Stoner, watching her as she and Sherrie went back into their cell. She decided to calmly ignore him.

"So, Jules, what do you think of this place?" Sherrie asked as she sat on her bed.

"S'all right," Jules shrugged, following Sherrie's lead on her side of the cell.

"Mary said that she likes you. She thinks you'll do well here after some grooming and what not. But I'll tell you: we protect each other here. We don't let anyone get to us."

"That sounds good."

"Just stick with us, Jules, and you'll be out of here in no time." That line almost made Juliet's eyebrows perk up, but she maintained her cool.

"My next parole hearing is coming up in six months," Sherrie said. "Everything will be all right for me, though."

"How?"

Sherrie only chuckled at the question. "You'll see. Everyone here looks out for each other. On the inside and on the outside."

Juliet tried to push her a little bit more, but that was all she got. She was certain she had found the killers, but how when they are trapped by iron bars and at least twenty guards every hour of every day?

*

"Hey Jules." Shawn said immediately as he picked up the phone to converse with Juliet. "Lassie wanted me to ask you this right away: make any new friends?"

"Yeah, I have. A woman named Mary and her friends."

"Everything all right there?"

"Yeah. They really look out for each other here." Juliet then dropped her voice really low, "they said I could be getting out pretty soon."

"That'd be nice," Shawn smiled, understanding her. "Gustavo says hi."

Juliet had to chuckle at that, "tell him I said 'hi' back, _Sonny_."

"Is life behind the bars difficult for you?" Shawn suggested.

"I've been adapting, especially to the creepy gaze of the guards," after Juliet said that, she noticed him glance over to where one of the guards was overseeing the visitations.

"Did anyone ever tell you that orange brings out your freckles?"

"I don't have freckles, _Sonny_," Juliet disagreed.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I have to go, sis. Gustavo and I are making cupcakes. I can sneak a file in one if you want."

"No, that's fine," Juliet smiled. She worried a little bit about the people who monitor these conversations. "I'll just wait for my appeal."

"Okay, see you later then."

*


	5. Chapter 5

"Jules," Sherrie got her attention from the other side of the cell. Juliet had spent the last week gaining everyone's trust in the gang and she felt like she had been doing pretty well. "I'm being transferred to another cell for the next couple days."

"Why?" Jules asked.

Sherrie shrugged, "one of the guards thought it'd be good for me to go to another cell for a little bit. Don't worry, I'll be coming back."

"Okay?" Juliet said, a bit confused. She'd have to make a mental note to tell Shawn about this when he comes later that day. This was getting very suspicious to her.

*

Juliet woke suddenly when she heard a key turn in the lock. It was in darkness, only traces of light coming from the barred windows that showcased the moon.

She heard the iron bars slide to open and saw the silhouettes of at least three people.

"Get up," one whispered. "Now."

Juliet was not one to question girls she was trying to form a trust with so she did as she was told. One of the women then snatched her arm and placed a hand over her mouth.

*

"Juliet," Shawn was stunned to see a beaten-down Jules as she sat to talk with him. Tentatively, because her ribs were sore. "What-?"

"I'm alright," she replied before he could finish his question.

"Who did this?" she could see the concern and anger in Shawn's features.

Juliet planned to ignore his question as she lowered her voice, "I'm pretty sure it was to be certain that I will be trustworthy. But this is good, Shawn, I'm in."

He disregarded the fact that she used his real name instead of Sonny, being too worried about her to care about covers. "It's not worth it if you're gonna get hurt or worse-."

"Sonny," she used the fake name that time lowering her voice even more so the guard standing behind her could not hear, "Something's very wrong. The girls snuck into my cell. Only one of the guards would be able to give the keys to them. I'm positive one of the guards is in on this. The question is- why?"

"One of the women might be sleeping with him," Shawn suggested. "Keep your eye out for anything more suspicious."

"No, from what I see, the women hate the guards."

Shawn reduced his tone to a whisper to match hers, "I'll try to look around a bit. And be careful."

"I will," Juliet almost rolled her eyes, but he was being sweet also so she had to give him points for that.

With that, they hung up the phones and went their separate ways to snoop.


End file.
